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landing back on Doona, were we?" Though Hrriss recognized the validity of that
logic, he knew that Todd was talking himself out of despair even as he offered
the same hope to Hrriss.
"We always register flight plans,' Hrriss said. "We leave and arrive on time
at all destinations."
"So,' and Todd stopped pacing long enough to whirl back to Hrriss, "where do
they think we had time to pick up all those juicy little rarities?
Cotopoids are found on only three planets in two systems, if I remember
rightly, and none of them on any route we've taken recently.
I can't identify half of the other stuff but,' and now he sighed, "that damned
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Byzanian Glow Stone is genuine and there's only one place you can come by them
and we were orbiting above it."
"All our flight plans are on record,' Hrriss said, finding reassurance in that
fact, "and they will prove our innocence. Come, stop pacing. It suggests a
guilty mind." Todd plopped down next to Hrriss and shoved the third chair a
short distance away so the two of them could share it to prop their feet.
Hrriss disposed his tail comfortably through the opening in the rear of his
chair and composed himself.
"There's something nagging at me,' Todd said after a few moments.
He circled his hand in the air, trying to catch hold of an elusive thought.
"Something Councillor Dupuis said, that they had received information that the
Albie had been identified by the Hrrilnorr beacon.
Isn't it a little soon for such to reach Hrruban Security? That beacon didn't
dispatch a robot probe when we passed it, which is the only way that the data
would get here short of a month. It shouldn't have been picked up for another
few weeks even by digital rapid-transfer. That's why my father thought that
the matter could be deferred until after
Snake Hunt." Hrriss yawned broadly, showing fangs, incisors, and grinders that
Todd always found an impressive array. "We both know how interdict beacons
operate. But there were other people using Hrrilnorr as a warp-jump
coordinate. Perhaps they collected the message and reported the infraction."
"Whose side are you on?" Todd demanded, half joking. Hrriss often played
devil's advocate when they had to reason through a problem. "A
little too coincidental to please me, especially with the Treaty Renewal
imminent." Hrriss yawned again.
"Who else was using the Hrrilnorr connection, Hrriss?"
"I do not remember, only that some were.
"But I thought most of the top brass came by transport grid. And
Rogitel is not the type to plan practical jokes. Nor is Landreau, and this
thing was planned." Hrriss was working his bottom into the padded seat, trying
to make himself comfortable enough to sleep. Todd often wished he had the
Hrruban propensity for sleep. Despite their generally high level of activity
when awake, they could, and did, take naps anytime opportunity offered.
"I agree,' Hrriss mumbled. He caught himself in the act of falling
asleep. "We were promisssed food and drink. I could sleep better with a full
belly. But I need sleep to make sense out of this situation. I
had only an hour in my bed whenever this morning was. He sat up, suddenly
anxious. "I hope my mother will feed the ocelots when evening comes.
If they're not fed, they will go in search of food and raid my neighbor's
ssliss coop again.
"You'll be home to feed them yourself,' Todd said.
"I hope so but the ocelots do enjoy ssliss eggs.
"Don't talk about eggs. I'm starved." When Hrriss yawned even more broadly
than before, Todd regarded him in disgruntlement. "And, damn your lousy
furred pelt, you can sleep. I can't when I'm starving.
"Then wake me when the meal comes,' Hrriss advised, and settling himself, his
chin dropped to his chest, his hands, so oddly more human than the rest of
him, relaxing in his lap while his tail hung slack behind him, the tip only
occasionally twitching.
Todd sighed, settling back, legs stretched out in front of him, crossed at the
ankles on the supporting chair, and began running over the day's happenings.
Who had placed those incriminating items on the Albie? He turned to ask what
Hrriss thought. Hrriss's breathing had slowed, become steady and shallow.
The gentle oscillation of the tip of
Hrriss's tail attracted Todd's attention. Its movement was hypnotic and
soothing. As Tod watched it, his own eyes grew heavy. After a while, despite
his hunger, he dozed off.
"As you can see, Madam Councillor,' Rogitel continued, running the recorded
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flight log back to the beginning, "the so-called rescue mission to Hrrilnorr
was only the last stop in a series of piracies these twO
young reprobates committed." Landreau's aide was able to act as prosecutor
before the Treaty Council only because noncolonizable
Human-claimed planets were kept under the aegis of his department.
Entries in the log of the Albatross suggested that the ship had visited at
least three in that category.
The log went through a further playback, projecting its holographic images
onto a platform while sound was broadcast through wall speakers.
Hu Shih, Hrrestan, Rogitel, and Ken Reeve glowered at the images while
Councillor Dupuis's expression was impassive.
That morning, as soon as the marines had left with Todd in custody, Ken had
persuaded Martinson, the portmaster, to let him go to Treaty Island via
transport grid, for Martinson had also been called to give a deposition. Now
Martinson sat nervously hunched over his folded hands.
Allowing the Albatross to go uninspected for so long was a black mark on his
record. He, too, was risking censure, even dismissal, if a crime resulted
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